John,
I will try to answer as many of your friend's quetions as possible.
We did this exact thing about 15 years ago!

>     1)  What steps does one take to have a home placed on the national
>     register?  What are the advantages to this?

I will send a copy of our two brochures on the National Register and
Researching Historic Properties -- we get a lot of questions from local
homeowners.  They are kind of Pennsylvania-specific, but they'll help.
In most states, you have to be approved by the state register (usually
under supervision of the State Historic Preservation Officer) before
the nomination can go national.  I'd call your state's SHPO to get those
guidelines.  The National Park Service does have a "National Register
Starter Kit"; my intern (who's working on a nomination for a county
church) has borrowed mine, so I can't give you the exact address.

There are some advantages to being listed in the National Register.  One,
of course, is prestige.  If your local zoning ordinances recognize
National Register status, that's nice.  In PA, our statewide preservation
grant program only gives to buildings on the National Register, so
that's a vital step here.  It does look nice in grant applications and
publicity to say "listed in the National Register".

>     2)  Are there any granting agencies / foundations specifically
>     aimed at helping to raise money for such projects?

Grants, probably not.  The PA preservation ones I mentioned do pay for
restoration, but it is a cash match program, which is hard to do.  Check
with your state SHPO to see what's available at a state level.  When we
started raising money to restore the Centre Furnace Mansion, we set up
a separate legal entity, so all money that came in went straight to
the project.  Foundations and corporations liked that.  We got some
foundation money, but every foundation has different guidelines.  Check
your local library for a directory (I can't remember the name of the
national one I usually consult).  We also got some corporate donations.
That required a lot of PR work -- advertising, dog-and-pony shows, etc.
With your site, you have a huge incentive to get people interested in
saving one of the few remaining pieces of their heritage.  Bill it that
way, and you might get support.  I found out yesterday that some banks
fulfill their legal obligations to reinvest some of their money in the
community not by loans, but by supporting projects like this.  It's
worth finding out.

>     3) What set backs or mistakes have any of you encountered in such
>     a project that you would undo if possible?
>
>     4)  Any other advice?

Research, research, research!  That means for money and for accurate
restoration.  If you take shortcuts now to save money, you'll be very
sorry later.  Believe in your project, and that will come across to
other people.  It is well worth your time to get a good team together --
a lawyer, a banker, maybe a fundraiser, an advertising guru, and some
local community bigwigs who will help beat the bushes for you.

We're just starting to do this all over again to raise money for a new
museum building, so I'm feeling steeped in it!  If you have any other
questions, please e-mail me or call me.  Good luck!

Sara Kelley


--
Sara Phinney Kelley, Historic Site Administrator
Centre County Historical Society
State College, PA
(814) 234-4779                  e-mail: [log in to unmask]